Alike
by SilverCrystal029
Summary: "As a demon slayer, Sango was constantly confronted by the potential danger and evil of demons. It was the evil humans could have that she never really got used to." Will what Sango and Inuyasha have tried to build weather the storm? InuSan Post Naraku.


Sango spit blood into the river and wiped her mouth the back of her hand. The men had done a number on her alright. Her left eye has already started bruising and her lip was busted. Grimacing, she retied her messy hair into a pony tail. As a demon slayer, Sango was constantly confronted by the potential danger and evil of demons. It was the evil humans could have that she never really got used to.

_The pair burned under accusatory stares. Faces wrinkled in disbelief and disgust. A demon slayer and a half demon? It seemed like a bad joke. When the futuristic miko and the monk were alive, they seemed to pass better as a haggard motley crew. With more than half the group gone, they received far more negative attention. Inuyasha suppressed growls in his throat. A show of aggression would only add reason to their discriminatory behavior. He wouldn't add fuel to the fire._

_He eyed the tajiya beside him, the lone human survivor of Naraku's last attack. The only one to see his death with him. She had only grown more precious to him, she was all he had left. He watched her stride through the stares and comments with remarkable grace and strength. She didn't even seem ruffled. They had a job to do, a demon to kill. Her brown eyes didn't look away from straight ahead. The remarks grew louder and more hostile. Inuyasha clutched his fist. He had lived all this life this way, he would live longer. But he couldn't bear the comments about Sango. 'She-devil, witch, traitor!' They flung the insults so carelessly, unaware of the things the young woman had been through. Unaware of how dependable, and strong, resilient she was. _

_As if that wasn't hard enough for Inuyasha to watch, someone had the gall to lob a rock their way. It struck Sango square in the cheek, causing her to stop. Inuyasha halted as well, examining the woman's face. A thin scratch had formed. A crimson drop of blood rose and dripped down the side of her face, causing the gathering crowd to cheer and hoot and holler. Inuyasha felt his hand form into a claw as he began to make his way towards the men. They paused, faces shown with fear as the hanyou approached them mercilessly. Sango held a hand up before wiping the thin line of blood away. Wordlessly, with a smile, she grabbed onto the hanyou's hand and led him away from the crowd. _

_Later Inuyasha sat in front of the Slayer. He watched her pack her weapons and struggled with his words. "A-Are you sure? Are you sure you'll be alright alone?" Sango let a sigh slide out of her before facing her hanyou companion. "Don't you trust that I'm capable yet?" Inuyasha winces. Images of Sango injured and on the brink of death crowd his mind. "Of course I do, stupid! I know you can handle that demon... I don't trust you around all of those men." His voice grew quiet and he watched her body go rigid. She cast a glance at the village gates. "Inuyasha... What's the point of going through that-" "Are you ashamed?" Her head whips around quickly causing her ponytail to splash behind her like a wave. "Never." "Then what does what they say matter!"_

_Sango grimaced, the same sad smile. It drove Inuyasha mad. He felt his heart sink as she approached him, laying her head on her chest. "I don't want to hear them say those things about you." He sighed, wrapping his sleeved arms around her back. "I've lived with it all my life. What does it matter..." He shuddered as she placed a small kiss on his cheek. "Wait for me, I won't be long... Then we can leave and forget about this." 'Until next time it happens." Inuyasha thought bitterly. He watched with a sinking feeling as she disappeared into the village and the forest beyond it._

Sango spit again. More blood... _'He's going to smell me a mile away... If he hasn't already.'_ She thought grudgingly. She and Inuyasha were able to work remarkably well together because like him she wanted avoid looking weak at all costs. Returning bruised and battered by a village of human men didn't help that cause. She stood, her body aching. She set her face and turned from the river, running right into Inuyasha.

He was looking her over intently, eyes squinting at her bruises and the smell of her blood. "Inuyasha... I didn-" "What happened, Sango." His voice was shaking and held no question. Deep down he knew. Sango smiled, betraying the tears forming in front of sienna eyes. "The demon was tougher than I thought, not too tough though." Inuyasha winced as her voice cracked. "S-Sango. The scent of that demon is barely on you. You're covered in the scent of-" "It's okay, Inuyasha." With that defeated admittal he crushed the girl to him in a tight embrace, shuddering sobs in her hair. "No it's NOT, Sango. It's because of ME."

He pulled apart from the small woman, unshed tears glittering in his eyes. "I'm tired of you suffering because of me! You don't deserve the stigma, it casts a shadow over you... I shouldn't-" Sango placed a delicate finger on Inuyasha's lips and lead him to the river's bedside. She sat, staring forward for a long time. "Inuyasha... Do you know why we work so well?" Inuyasha stared. Sango was roving into uncharted territory. Ever since the day they had come together and joined in body they never spoke of it. It was like a pact, just how they never really talked about Kagome and Miroku. It was mutual. It didn't mean they weren't mates and it didn't mean they hadn't come to love one another. They just never did.

Sango blinked, looking down at her own reflection in the river. "It's because we understand each other, truly. We're alike... And in more ways than you'd think. We're both warriors. We both want to be seen as strong, and independent- We have _always_ understood that need." she began, fiddling with blades of grass as she continued. "Before I knew you, before I ever knew of the plights of demons and half demons alike... I was the odd one out. The only female demon slayer of my village and of most of these lands. A masculine woman who would never attract a man because of her manly profession... Women would turn their noses up at me... Men would holler and yell curses at me then _too._" She said, her throat closing involuntarily. She pulled at handfuls of grass now, but she pressed on. "But I wanted to be a demon slayer, woman or not. And a _damn_ good one. So that's why I continued. And Inuyasha-" Slowly, her hand crossed the grass to Inuyasha's and wrapped her fingers with his. "Inuyasha, I want to be with you. You make me happy... And you understand me. So I will. No matter what." Inuyasha's mouth hung open for a moment before closing. That woman never ceased to amaze him... Why would she stop now? With a sigh, her pulled her close and laid his head on her head.


End file.
